By Nicolas Petros Kaparti
[/P]The "tentacles" of the Russian invasion reach as far as Cyprus, with the US throwing a "hook" to Nicosia for its involvement in the crisis through sending Russian arms of the National Guard to Ukraine.
The contact of the US with Nicosia for the shipment of Russian National Guard weapons to Ukraine - which was reported in an article in Kathimerini Cyprus and confirmed by Defence Minister Haralambos Petridis himself through his TV statements - puts the government in a dilemma, since on the one hand, possible involvement in the war would pose risks, and on the other hand, it would provide a bridge for lifting the US embargo on the sale of non-lethal weapons to the Republic of Cyprus.
It is recalled that two years ago Washington decided to lift the embargo on the sale of US non-lethal weapons to the Republic of Cyprus. This embargo was imposed on Cyprus in 1987 and was lifted on September 1, 2020.
However, as we learn, in any case, Nicosia is seriously considering the US request, since after the sanctions imposed on Russia[/B] there is a question of maintenance of several weapons systems of Russian origin which are likely to be rendered inoperable in the long run. And this is where the question arises: To what extent is the National Guard affected and which corps are equipped with weapons systems of Russian origin?
According to a competent source, in the ranks of the National Guard there are several weapons systems of Russianorigin, however, there are corps which are hardly affected at all.
In particular, as far as the artillery is concerned, there are no Russian weapons systems at all, since the corps is equipped with the Slovakian ZUZANA and the Nora B -52 self-propelled guns, which are of Serbian manufacture. This is not the case with anti-aircraft and armoured systems, the majority of which are Russian-made.
With regard to the air force, it is affected to some extent since it is equipped with Russian helicopters, but there are other air assets in its inventory that are built in other countries.
Finally, the corps that are not affected are the navy, infantry, engineers and transmissions, since almost none of them are equipped with Russian weapons systems.
Strong opposition reaction
As expected, the whole issue does not leave the largest opposition party indifferent. AKEL[/B] calls on the government to take an official position and stresses that this is an "extremely serious" issue.
Indeed, in a written statement it showed that the issue cannot be left hanging from the government's side and recalled that on 8 March, before the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, the Foreign Minister had ruled out the possibility of sending military equipment to Ukraine.
While pointing out that: "at a time when the reports present the Syrian government ready to meet such US demands, Turkey, the occupying power, has been elevated, with the blessing of the US as well, to a 'peacemaking power' in Ukraine, even though it refuses to implement any sanctions against Russia."
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